Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life-and travel-leaves marks on you.
It was time for another adventure, this time to Northern Ireland. I was looking forward to seeing the difference between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of Great Britain. Once we crossed the border, there was no more using Euros as payment, since Great Britain is no longer part of the European Union. It wasn't that big of a deal since most places accepted credit cards.
M & I met Tomás, our "Vagaguide". He's a young guy who has a love of the outdoors. As with the Irishmen I've come into contact with, he's a wonderful storyteller with a fantastic sense of humor. He, M, & I hit it off right away.
Before we crossed the border, we had a couple of nights in the Republic.
Where We Went
Our first stop was Corlea Trackway. This is an Iron Age road built in the boglands of Longford. The largest to be found in Europe, it is said to have been built in 147 BC. The amazing thing is that it is so well preserved. Once the logs sank, the bog kept them from rotting. Artifacts that have been perfectly preserved have been found. An actual body (or 2) has also been found. While the purpose hasn't been specifically named, it is believed that it was some sort of "ceremonial road". The logs are free from ruts which would have been made using carts, so there is a bit of a mystery to it.
A portion of the trackway is preserved through the climate-controlled visitors centre.
A "nail" that was used to keep the logs together
The Museum of Country Life in County Mayo will give you a glimpse into what life in Ireland was like from 1850-1950. I found the exhibits to be interesting, but this is one place I don't think I would revisit. That being said, in all fairness, it was a rather chilly, drab day so we didn't have a chance to wander around the property. I know we missed some things, like a thatched roof cottage and a round tower.
St. Brigid's Cross
Information on the game of hurling
A bench outside of the museum
Tomás made a stop at the Tarmonbarry Lock on the River Shannon. This a favored place to paddle among kayakers.
Obligatory wind-blown picture
View from the lock
Benbulben is Ireland's most famous table mountain. As we looked at this beautiful sight, we heard the story of Finn McCool & Diarmuid. I won't get into the whole story, but suffice it to say it involved a girl. And a boar. Long story short, the boar was charging Grainne (the girl), Diarmuid stepped in front of it and fatally injured him. Finn had the chance to save him but chose not to because of his jealousy over Grainne choosing Diarmuid over him. Diarmuid died in the shadow of Benbulben.
Benbulben
The Sheepdog Demonstration was interesting because I saw one the previous week on the Great Southern Tour. Benbulben provided a beautiful backdrop to the demonstration as Martin's dog wowed us with her talents. There were a couple of differences between this demonstration and the previous one. Martin seems to be a bit more modern with his tactics. But the highlight of this visit was getting to hold little lambs who were just a few days old. We were warned about the lamb's possibly relieving themselves on us, which kept me from holding mine too tightly.
Benbulben in the background as we drove into Martin's farm. Photo courtesy of Tomás
View of Martin's farm
The stillness of the dog amazed me
I didn't want to hold the lamb too tightly
Martin goes all over the world training sheepdog owners
Still at the foot of Benbulben, we paid homage to one of the world's most renowned poets: W.B. Yeats. He spent his summers here and was laid to rest at St. Columba's Church in Drumcliffe, County Sligo.
The resting place of W.B. Yeats with Benbulben in the background
Yeats wrote his own epitaph in his poem "Under Benbulben"
The one-of-a-kind mural, from 1895, is the result of the Church of Ireland's reluctance to have crosses in the churches
The organ loft
St. Columba's in Drumcliffe was built in 1809. Yeat's great-grandfather was a pastor here.
The high crosses are remnants of a 6th-century monastery. Across the road, behind the high cross, is what remains of a round tower which the monks would have used as a bell tower.
Slieve League was next on the itinerary. We passed through Killybegs which is the largest fishing port in the country. Tarmonbarry Lock was just a gentle breeze compared to what we experienced at Slieve League! In addition to the dramatic coastline, we also saw a Napoleonic Tower, "Eire" in rocks that was used during WWII so the planes would know they were crossing Ireland, and a backward waterfall. Tomás told us later that night that right after we left the area, it was closed because of the high winds.
This is definitely a wind-blown picture
Dramatic coastline
A little waterfall
Sheep on the side of the mountain
The backward waterfall attests to how hard the wind was blowing. The Napoleonic Tower can be seen just beyond the waterfall.
"Eire" in rocks during WWII to prevent being bombed
The last stop the second night was in Donegal. One of my sisters suggested I find Hanna Hats. She saw it on a tv show and said it looked really neat. They will hand craft a hat specifically for you, but I'm not sure how long it takes. My SIL & I had trouble finding the correct door to enter until a lady came out and gave us a rather disgusting look. After that, I wasn't about to ask about having a hat made, so I just went in, looked for a minute, and bought some wool socks.
Donegal was my favorite village/town/city during this tour. It is quite charming, with the River Eske running through it. Of course, there's a castle and a famine graveyard. We didn't venture far from the hotel, since we stayed right in town. We did a little shopping in Forget Me Not, a sweet little craft shop where I picked up some note cards and an ornament. We also strolled through the Old Abbey of Donegal, a 15th-century Franciscan Abbey.
Donegal Castle
River Eske in Donegal
Statue of Red Hugh O'Donnell, chieftan
The Old Abbey of Donegal
The Abbey Cemetery
High Cross in the Abbey Cemetery
High Cross peeking over the wall of the Old Abbey
Where We Stayed and Ate
The first night we stayed at the Ocean Sands Hotel in Enniscrone, County Sligo. The rooms were very dark and, much to my disappointment, there were no towel warmers. (This is just an observance, not a complaint, although I did get rather spoiled by having them in the rooms during the previous tour.) We had a decent view from our room. An open wifi was provided; however, the connection left much to be desired. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative so we didn't get to walk down to the shore.
Dinner was included at the hotel (drinks excluded). The food was very good and the service was excellent.
The view from our hotel room
On Day 2, we ate at The Olde Castle in Donegal for lunch and dinner. Obviously, the food was really good and we really liked the atmosphere.
The Olde Castle is right on the corner across from the castle
The bar
This very well may have been stables at one time
Our hotel in Donegal was Abbey Hotel. I like that it was centrally located. The stay must have been uneventful because I can't say anything about it! After listening to traditional music at a nearby pub, The Reel, we walked to the hotel and fell into bed. The music was only an accordion and guitar. We couldn't understand anything the guy with the accordion said so we just smiled and nodded our heads.
To Recap
The first 2 days of the Northern Island Tour from Vagabond Tours (Driftwood version) were absolutely packed. We had 12 people on this tour and 6 of them were from the same family. We were in good hands with the witty Tomás who kept us laughing with his sarcasm and sense of humor. We were still in the Republic of Ireland even though we were headed north. There is a sliver in the northern section of Ireland, which is the Republic. I'm told that the reason is that when Great Britain staked its claim on Ireland, they left that sliver because if they hadn't, Northern Ireland would be predominantly Catholic. The weather wasn't deterring us from getting out there and risking losing our cell phone (think Slieve League). Anyway, who cares what the weather is when you're in Ireland?
